Refractometer



Dec. 30, 1952 O, BARS-row 2,624,014

REFRACTOMETER Filed May 51. 1949 y 4 shees-sheet 1 /f//Q u A. c.

IN V EN TOR.

A TTORNEY` Dec. 30, 1952 o. BARsTow A TTORNEYS Dec. 30, 1952 Q BARSTQW 2,624,014

REFRACTOMETER 4 Sheets-Sheet I5 Filed May 31, 1949 A TTORNEYS Dec. 30, 1952 o. BARSTOW 2,624,014

REFRACTOMETER Filed May 31. 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 W "uml IN V EN TOR.

A TTRNE YS Patented Dec. 30, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REFRACTOMETER Application May 31, 1949, Serial No. 96,329

(Cl. Z50-202) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of and means for measuring the refractive index of fluid transparent material. It more particularly concerns an apparatus by means of which the index of refraction of a liquid may be automatically and continuously measured and recorded.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a method of and means for measuring the refractive index of a liquid without recourse to visual observation.

Another object is to provide a method of and means for obtaining a continuous measurement of the refractive index of a continuously flowing stream of a liquid and recording the refractive index so measured.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art in the following part of the specification.

Referring to the drawings which are for illustrative purposes only,

Fig. l is an isometric view, which is partly schematic and cut away to show structure, of the apparatus showing the optical system, the path of refracted light rays, photocell carrying arm and refractive index recorderl Fig. 2 is an isometric view, which is partly schematic and cut away to show structure, of a preferred form of the apparatus showing the optical system, the path of the refracted light rays, photocell carrying arm, refractive index recorder, and timer mechanism for periodically automatically compensating for variations in the light intensity of the light-dark field boundary of the refracted light rays.

Fig. 3 is a rea-r elevation of the voltage divider shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross section on the lines 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5is a schematic diagram of the timer mechanism of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the position of the timer set cam shaft of Fig. 2 and associated parts when the refractive index is being recorded.

Fig. 'I is a similar View to Fig. 6 showing one of the positions of the timer set cam shaft of Fig. 2 and associated parts when shifting from the recording position to the dark field photocell output lcurrent adjustment position.

Fig. 8 is a similar View to Fig. 6 showing the position of the timer set cam shaft of Fig. 2 when automatic adjustment of the dark field photocell output current is being made. In addition, there is shown the photocell carrying arm in the swung down position.

The several parts shown in Figs. 6, '7 and 8 common to Fig. 2 are designated by the same numerals as those used for like parts in Fig. 2.

Fig. 9 is a view of the split field of a liquid having a medium index of refraction.

Fig. 10 is a similar View of a split field of a liquid having a low index of refraction.

Fig. 11 is a similar view of a split field of a liquid having a high index of refraction.

Fig. l2 shows the relationship between the lightdark boundary of the split iield and the slit. plate when the slit subtends the boundary.

An important use of the apparatus is in making a continuous record of the refractive index of a liquid, the refractive index of which is subject to variations. With the apparatus of Fig. 1, a continuous or intermittent stream of a sample of the liquid, the refractive index of which is to be recorded, is led into the apparatus which then produces the desired record.

Referring to this apparatus in detail, the embodiment of the invention, shown in Fig. 1, comprises a, refraction prism I of the Abb type extending into the sample vessel or cell 2 mounted in a thermostatically controlled tank 3, the thermostatic controls of which have been omitted for simplicity. As shown, the refraction face 4 of the prism faces downward. The prism is provided with a shoulder which is pressed against gasket 6 by retainer l, the external thread 8 of which engages the internal thread of the boss 9 which is attached to the wall IU of the tank 3 at one end 0f the sample cell. The other end of the sample cell is closed by the window II. Pipe I2 for conveying the sample to the cell I passes through the thermostatic bath liquid I3 to the sample cell and acts as a heat exchanger to bring the temperature of the sample to that of the bath. Pipe I4 is provided from the cell for the discharge of sample therefrom. A light source I5, such as a sodium arc light, is placed opposite the face l of the prism so that the light beam I6 from the light reaches the face 4 of theprism at grazing incidence as with the conventional dipping refractometer of Abb. The light source I5 is operated from a suitable power unit I1 connected to current supply lines I8 through switch I9.

In addition to the light source and refraction prism, the optical system comprises the objective lens 20 which is mounted on end wall 2l of the light tight case 22 so that the axis of the lens 20 is in alignment with the axis of the prism I. The case is maintained in appropriate alignment with the prism by the spacer 23 which forms a light tight enclosure around the light path 24 between the prism I and the lens 26.

The inside of the case 22 houses the pivoted arm 25 which is mounted at one end on the shaft 26 journaled in bearing 21 supported by the end 2l wall of the case 22 so that the other end of the arm is free to swing in a plane, preferably vertical, as shown. parallel to and offset from the axis of lens 20. With this arrangement of the prism, lens, and pivoted arm, the plane in which the pivoted arm swings is perpendicular to the plane of the face 4 of the prism I. The arm 25 carries a light selecting means such as the slit 3 plate 28 in which is formed the narrow slit 23 (0.002 to 0.004 inch in width, for example), the slit being at the focal distance from the objective lens 20. It is also in line with the axis 30 of the objective lens when the arm 25 is in the horizontal position as shown. Although the center line of shaft 26. which is perpendicular to the axis of lens 20, is shown as being offset from the plane of lens 20, it is desirable in general to position either the shaft or the lens so that the axis of the shaft lies in the plane of the lens. When the pivoted end of the shaft is thus mounted, the length of the light path from lens 20 to the slit 29 remains constant while the arm pivots about the shaft 26.

The other end of the arm is provided with an opening 3i, and, behind the opening, there is mounted a socket 32. A photoelectric cell 33, the base of which (not shown) extends through the opening, is held in the socket 32. The light sensitive cell (photoelectric cell) is thus arranged on the arm so that the light sensitive elements thereof (not shown) are in a position to receive the light which passes through the slit from the objective lens. The light sensitive elements of the light sensitive cell, the slit, and objective lens are all in a straight line when arm is horizontal as shown.

A tension spring 3d, one end of which is fastened to the top of the case 22 and the other to the arm 25, urges the swinging end 36 of the arm upward. The upward movement of the end of the arm is limited by push rod 3l, the lower end 38 of which extends through the bushing 39 into contact with the boss 40 on the arm 25. The upper end 4I of the push rod engages the cam 42 mounted on shaft 43, the angular movement of which is controlled by a 2 phase induction motor 44 driving the worm t5 which engages the worm gear 45 on the shaft 43. The shaft I3 also carries the cam 41. An arm i8 is mounted on the pivot 59 so that the cam follower 5t engages the cam 4l. The lower end 5I carries the stylus 52. As shown, the stylus 52 is arranged to bear upon a chart 53 mounted upon the face 54 of a dial 55 driven by a clock mechanism (not shown).

In the apparatus thus far described, the photoelectric vcell 33 is arranged to control motor 44, and, thus, the vertical swinging movement of the end 36 of the arm 25.

'I'he control of the motor depends upon the characteristics of the photoelectric cell and is best illustrated, as in the drawing, in connection with a photoelectric cell of the multiplier type such as an RCA type 931-A. As shown, the output of the tube is carried by the multiple cable 56 to terminal block 57 thence to the power supply unit 58. The output of the unit 58 is carried by leads 59 to the low pass filter 60 from which it is conveyed by leads BI through the resistance 62 and milliammeter B3. The voltage drop across resistance 62 is opposed by a predetermined voltage drop across resistance 64 which is connected in fseries with resistance 65 and a single dry cell 66 or equivalent source of E. M. F. The voltage difference E, if any, is impressed upon the high gain amplifier 6l, the output of which is carried by leads 63 to one phase of the windings of the two phase motor 4A, the other phase of the motor is connected through leads E9 and switch 10 to the A. C. power lines I8. The sensitivity of the photomultiplier tube 33 is controlled by the voltage divider I I, the three leads of whichare connected through a terminal block' l 'I2 to the power supply unit 58. By varying the position 0f the contact arm 'I3 on the voltage divider, the voltage applied to the elements of the tube 33 is correspondingly varied, thereby varying the degree of gain or sensitivity of the tube.

In Fig. 2, there is shown a modification of Fig. l in which the light source I5, prism I, sample cell 2, thermostatic tank 3, the objective lens 20,

f= and the arrangement of these parts, are the same as in Fig. l and bear the same designations. The light tight box lll is larger although similar to that of Fig. l, being made to accommodate a larger L-shaped swinging arm l5. In addition in the end 'F3 of the box opposite to the objective lens 23, is mounted the eye piece Il having an objective lens 'I8 on which may be marked a vertical scale, not shown. The arm 15 is mounted at one end of the long leg of the L on the shaft I9 which operates in the bearing 80 mounted on the end 8| of the box in similar fashion to the arm 25 of Fig. l so that the other end of the arm may swing in a plane (preferably vertical) which is parallel to and offset from the axis of the objective lens 20, the plane being perpendicular to the plane of the face ll of prism. As in the case of the arm 25 of Fig. 1, it is desirable to position either the shaft I9 or the lens 2l! so that the axis of the shaft lies in the plane of the lens rather than offset as shown for clarity.

A right angle prism 182 is mounted near the swinging end 83 yof the arm 15, the axis 84 of the prism being perpendicular to the face 85 of the arm l5. As shown, the prism 82 is thus Iarranged to be in alignment with the optical axis 86 of the combination of the refraction prism I and objective lens 20. Mounted on the short leg 87 of the arm preferably perpendicularly below the right angle prism 82 is the slit plate 88 in which is formed the narrow slit 89 which is similar to slit 23 of Fig. l. The slit plate is so positioned as to be in a plane parallel tothe optical axis 83 with the s-lit perpendicular to the plane in which the arm swings, and in line with a perpendicular 90 dropped from the intersection of the aforesaid optical axis 36 and prism axis 84 (as shown). The l ngth `of the light path from lens 2t to prism 82 and from prism 82 to the slit plate 88 is equal to the focal length of the lens. A-s shown, the arm 75 is provided with an opening 3l behind which is mounted the socket 52. A photoelectric cell 93, rsimilar to that of Fig. l, is inserted through opening 5I and is held in socket 92. As so arranged, elements (not shown) of the photoelectric cell 93 are in line with the perpendicular 92, the axis 93 of the cell is horizontal and thus parallel to the slit 39. The arrangement permits light emerging from prism I and focused by lens 20 to be reflected by prism E22 through slit 89, which acts as light selecting means, into the photoelectric cell 3. A tension spring 35, one of which is fastened to the top 35 of the box and the other to the arm 15, urges the swinging end 83 carrying the photoelectric cell upward. The upward movement of the arm is limited by the push rod 97, the lower end 38 of which engages the upper edge 99 of the arm. The push rod 3l is mounted in bushing I in which the push rod is capable of vertical move-Y ment. The vertical movement is controlled by cam It! with which the upper end |02 of the push rod .may engage,

As shown, cam Il is secured to shaft H13, the angular movement' of which is controlled by reversible 2 phase induction motor |04 (one phase of which is `connected by leads |88 to the power supply lines) whose worm gear engages the worm wheel |96 which is also mounted on shaft |03. The shaft |03 also carries the cam |01 which actuates the pivoted stylus arm |98, the stylusv |09 of which is arranged to register on the chart ||9 mounted on the dial face The dial face is turned by clock mechanism, not shown.

For adjusting the sensitivity of the photoelectric cell, there is provided a voltage divider ||2 which is mounted and turns on the pivot ||3 secured to one end of the pivo-ted arm ||4. As shown in greater detail in Figs. 3 and 4, the voltage divider comprises a disc I5 of insulating material having a central opening I |6 to receive the pivot 3 on which the disc is mounted and turns andan annular groove I1 in Iwhich is held a bare resistor ||8. The edge or the disc ||5 is provided with a groove !9 in which i-s ymounted a tire |29 as of rubber. The outer end of the spindle is formed into a squared end I2 Over the squared end |2| of the spindle is placed a contact arm |22 having a square hole, the arm being held in place and prevented from turning by the cap screw |23. The contact arm is formed of insulating material and carries a Contact element |24 at its outer end which makes electrical contact with the bare resistor, as sho-wn. Flexible leads |25, |28, and |21 are provided connecting each end of the resistor ||8 and the contact element |24 with the terminal block |29 (Fig. 2), from which leads |88 extend to the power supply box |39 which is 4similar to 58 of Fig. l. By turning the disc H5, as by allowing the tire to ride upon the worm gear |96, while contact element |24 remains in fixed position relative to arm ||4, the element |24 may be made to contact the resistor ||8 at any point between the ends lconnected to leads |25 and |21, thereby varying the voltage between |25 and either |25 or |21.

Again referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the box top 95 carries the bushing |3| through which extends the push rod |32 which is provided with handle |33 for manual operation of the rod.` The lower end |34 of push rod |32 engages the upper edge 99 of the arm 15. The upper end |35 engages the lcam |36 (when turned down) on cam shaft |31 which also carries cams |98 and |39. Cams |38 and |39 operate switches 14| and |48, respectively. By means of push rod |32, the free end 83 of arm 15 may be pushed downward, when desired, to move the right angle prism 82 vbelow optical axis 88 or out of the path ofthe light from lens 20. With the swinging end 83 of .the arm 15 in this lowered position, one may view the light eld from prism through lens 20 with the aid of eye piece 11.

Cam shaft |31is directly coupled to the reversible 2 phase induction motor |42, referred to hereinafter as lthe shift motor, and turns in unison therewith. The shift motor |42 is `connected by three leads |43 to a timer 44 (shown in detail in Fig. 5). The timer |44 is connected to the power supply by leads |45. The timer |44 is controlled by the shift motor shaft |46 extend ing from one end of the shift motor 42. Referring to Fig. 5, there is shown the circle |41 which schematically represents the shift motor |42 oi Fig. 2, and the three leads |48, |49 and |55 correspond to the three leads |49 of Fig. 2. As indicated by the circle |41, the shift motor |42 is a 2 phase induction motor having field windings |5| and |52 angularly displaced with, respect tothe circumference of the field of the motor. One end of each winding is connected to a common terminal |53, the other two ends being connected to the condenser |54 which acts as a phase splitter. Shaft |46 (Fig. 2) from the shift motor |42 has an extension |55 (Fig. 5) which carries the cam |56 arranged to operate limit switches |51 and |58. Current is supplied alternately to windings |5| and |52 from the supply leads |59 through the switch |60 which is operated by the cam |6| mounted on shaft |62, the shaft being revolved slowly by means of reduction gears |63 and |64 driven by a synchronous motor |85 connected to the A. C. power supply leads |59 by leads |88.

Again referring to Fig. 2, in connection with the photoelectric cell 93, its output is conveyed by the multiple cable |61 and leads |28 to the power supply box |39 which leads also make connection through the power supply box to leadsl |68 going to terminal block |29 thence to voltage divider H2. The power supply box |30 is connected by leads |59 through switch |10 to the A. C. power supply lines. The photocell output from the power supply box |39 is conveyed by leads |1| to the low pass filter |12 and thence by leads |13 through resistance |14 and milliammeter |15. rThis photoelectric cell output circuit is exactly similar to that of Fig. l. Dry cell |16 is connected in series with the series connected resistances |11, |18 and |19. One end of resistance |18 is connected to one end |8| of resistance |14 and to one side of switch |49. The other side of switch |48 is connected to the other end |82 of resistance |18, whereby resistance |18 is shorted out when switch |40 is closed. End |83 of resistance |19 and end |84 of resistance |14 are connected to the input side of the high gain amplier |85 by leads |86. The output of the amplier |85 is connected by leads |81 through switch |4| to one of two phase windings of m-otor |04, the other phase being connected, as shown, by leads |88 to the A. C. power supply lines.

The parts associated with cam shaft |31 of Fig. 2 exclusive of tinier |44 are schematically shown in the series of Figs. 6, 7 and 8 showing various operating positions of the cams and associated elements. The parts of Figs. 6, 1 and 8 which are shown in Fig. 2 are designated by the same numerals in these several gures. Referring particularly to Figs. 6, 7 and 8, it will be seen that cam |39 is provided with a at portion |89 and a circular portion I 90 which portions are arranged to engage the boss |9| on the end of pivoted arm H4 opposite to the end carrying voltage divider H2, the boss being urged into contact with the cam |39 by the tension spring |92. As shown, when the cam |39 is in a position in which boss |9| is in contact with the circular portion |99 as in Figs. 6 and 7, the voltage divider does not turn. When cam |39 is in a position in which the boss |9| engages the flattened portion |89, the pivoted arm ||4 tilts a1- lowing the tire |29 of voltage divider to contact gear wheel |98 as shown in Fig. 8, and, in such position, the voltage divider is thereby turned, if gear wheel |06 turns, to adjust the voltage supplied to the photoelectric cell.

The lower spring contact element |93 is provided with the boss |94 which is urged by its springiness into contact with and rides upon the cam |39. When cam |39 is in a position in which the boss |94 is in contact with the flattened portion |89, switch |40 remains open as in Fig. 6. When the cam |39 is in a position in which the boss |94 rides on the circular portion |90, .switch |49 remains closed as in Figs. "I and 8.

Cam |38 is provided with two parallel flattened portions |95 and ISG and two circular portions |91 and |98 each having thesame radius. Cam |38 is mounted on shaft |31 so that the flattened portions 95 and |95 are parallel to the flattened portion |39 of Vcam |39. Boss |99 on the upwardly urged lower spring contact member 29|) of switch IM engages only the circular portions |91 and |98 of cam |38 as when the cam is, for example, in the position shown in Fig. 7. In such position, switch |4I is open. Otherwise, switch IiiI is closed as in Figs. 6 and 8, for example, as when boss |99 does not touch cam |38.

y `Cam ISS is provided with a circular rim 29| and is eccentrically mounted on shaft |31 so that when cam |39 is in the position closing switch |40 cam |38 is turned down so that rim 20| engages the upper end 35 of push rod |32 pushing it into the downward position, as in Fig. 8.

In operation, with either the apparatus of Fig. 1 or Fig. 2, liquid the refractive index of which is to be measured is brought into the sample cell I through the pipe I2, and, if continuously flowing, is allowed to overflow through the pipe I4. The sample covers the face 4 of the prism I. The temperature of the thermostatically controlled bath liquid I3 is suitably adjusted to the temperature at which the index of refraction is to :be measured. The pipe I2 which is in contact with .liquid I3 brings the temperature of the sample to the desired value While traversing the pipe depending upon the temperature for which the bath is set.

Light (monochromatic) from the light source I5 is directed through the window II of the -sample cell I so as to pass through the sample and reach the face 4 of the prism at a grazing incidence, as shown (Figs. 1 and 2) some light striking the face 1i at a slight angle. With the face of the prism covered with sample liquid and thus illuminated, an observer looking through the `eye piece ll of Fig. 2, for example (the arm 'I5 being depressed manually as yby using handle -I3`3 on push rod |32 so as to provide an unobstructed path for the light emerging from the objective lens to the eye piece), sees a split field of View examples of which are shown in Figs. 9, .and 11. In these examples, the unshaded portions 292, 293, and 294, respectively of the circle, represent the bright portion of the field of view while the shaded portions 295, 296, and 29?, respectively, represent the dark portion of the field of View. The boundaries represented by lines 208, 299 and ZID, respectively :between the two portions of the eld are usually sharp and with the prism face 4 facing downward as shown, lthese boundaries are horizontal. The dividing line between 'the light (upper portion) and dark '(lower portion) of the split field is referred to usually by the term light-dark boundary and is delineated by the objective lens bringing the rays of the refracted light beam to a focus.

The 'position of the light-dark boundary with respect to the axis of the objective lens depends upon the index of refraction of the material of the prism I. the angle of the prism face d with respect to the prism axis 2| I, and the index of refraction of the sample I5. By a suitable choice of prism I, the light-dark boundary may be made tosplit the held into two substantially equal portions, as in Fig. 9, with liquid samples having a medium vindex of refraction. Samples having a lower index of refraction will raise the light-.dark boundary of the split field as in Fig. 10; samples having a higher index of refraction will lower the light-dark boundary as in Fig. 11. The brightness of the light portion of the split field compared to that of the dark portion is a variable but oftentimes is in the order of 10 to 1 and may go as high as to 1.

This invention provides means for'automatically measuring or indicating ythe refractive index of a transparent sample without .recourse to visual observations, and involves automatically locating the light-dark boundary formed by bringing to a focus the refracted light emerging from the refraction prism. The visual observations just referred to are for the purpose mainly of facilitating the understanding of the operation of the invention and need not be used until it is desired to note the condition of the field of view.

Referring more particularly to the apparatus of Fig. 1, in use it will ibe seen that the slit plate 28 is so-positioned (by suitably moving free end 32 of arm 25) that the light rays of the light at the light-dark boundary pass through 4the slit and impinge upon the photoelectric cell 33. The amount of light which passes through the slit 2S will depend upon the exact position of the slit with respect to the light-dark boundary and the thickness of the beam or Width of the slit which is usually made a few thousandths of an inch Wide or just suicient to subtend the light-dark boundary when sharp as in Fig. 12. When the boundary is either at the top of the slit or above it, the amount of light passing to the photoelectric cell is a minimum; when the boundary is either at the bottom of the slit or below it, the amount of light passing to the photoelectric cell 1s at a maximum. Hence, whether the boundary be sharp or fuzzy, as the slit is moved from the dark eld across the light-dark boundary to the light field, the intensity of the light impingmg upon the photoelectric cell passes through a range of intensity from a minimum to a maximum. The output of the photoelectric cell varies with the intensity of the light impinging upon 1t from the slit as well as the sensitivity of the cell. As shown in Fig. 1, this sensitivity may be adjusted by varying the setting of the voltage dnuder 'II by means of which the potential applied to the photoelectric elements may be increased or decreased, usually through a range of about soo to 1500 vous, as desired.

.vi/ith a given sensitivity setting and slit width (iight beam thickness), the output of the pho-toelectric cell is proportional to the brightness of that part oi' the light-dark boundary coincident with the slit, and produces a speciiic voltage drop across resistance 62. The value of this specic voltage drop when reached thus becomes the means to indicate when the slit 29 coincides with the light-dark boundary, and the position of the slit with respect to the axis of the lens becomes a measure of the refractive index of the sample. rfhe milliammeter 53 also then indicates a specific reproouceable reading depending on the characteristics of its circuit. The voltage drop across resistance E2 is opposed by a bucking voltage produced yby dry Cell 66 in series with the voltage divider formed by resistances 64 and `I-Ei. The resulting unbalance voltage E, if any, across leads 2|2 is the algebraic difference between the voltageldrop across resistance E2 and resistance 64 and its magnitude and direction depend upon the magnitudes of the output voltage of the coincides photo =tube andthe bucking voltage. This unbalance Vvoltage E is applied to the input of amplier 61 through leads 2|2. The amplifier 51 is essentially an A. C. amplifier with input stage supplied with a synchronous Vibrator fed with the unbalance voltage E. The output of the ampliiier is an A. C. voltage which is either in phase or 180 out of phase with the voltage of lines I8 depending on the polarity of the unbalance voltage E, and is applied by leads $8 to one of the 2 phase windings of the induction motor 44. The other winding of motor 44 is energized from the same A. C. lines I8 as the amplier through leads 59 when switch 1|! is closed. This motor, therefore, turns in one direction or the other depending upon the polarity of the unbalance voltage E.

The motor 44, if it turns, drives the worm gear 45 which in turn rotatesJ shaft 43 and the cams 42 and 41. As cam 42 moves, push rod 31 follows and causes the arm 30, carrying slit 29 and photoelectric cell 33, to move either upward or downward according to the direction of rotation of the motor 44. The slit is thus caused to move one way or the other following the movement of the zero. When E thus becomes zero, motor 44 stops.

At the same time that cam 42 moves, the cam follower 5t of the pivoted stylus arm 48 follows the contour of cam 41 causing the stylus 52 to produce a record on chart 53 which is thereby directly related to the position of the slit with respect to the axis of the lens 20.

By a suitable choice of the resistances 52, B4 and 55, the magnitude of the bucking voltage needed to just balance the voltage drop across resistance 62 when the slit coincides with the light-dark boundary as in Fig. 12 can be ascertained. By using the resistances thus selected motor 44 will come to rest as soon as slit 29 moves into the position coinciding with the light-dark boundary.

When using a photo multiplier tube as the photoelectrio cell, its sensitivity may be controlled by the voltage divider 1| as shown which is connected through terminal block 12 by leads to the power supply 58 of the tube. By increasing the tube when the slit is in the dark portion of the 5 light-dark eld may be adjusted to be from about 1/4 to 1/2, for example, of the output when the slit the light-dark boundary. By thus changing the unbalance voltage, the position of the stylus 52 can be altered so as to be suitably positioned on the chart 53 for making a record. A similar adjustment of the positioning of the stylus can be had by altering the magnitude of the resistance E2.

The position of the stylus, as recorded on the chart, is directly relatable to the refractive index of the sample in contact 'with the refraction prisms so that the chart may be calibrated by '.,idependent measurements of the refractive index. of the sample. Because the slit will always be moved by the motor tc a point where the slit coincides with the light-dark boundary, the stylus will always produce a corresponding indication of this position and, therefore, produce a direct l0 reading of the refractive index on the chart when calibrated.

It is evident that cam 41 may be given a contour representing any desired function of the refractive index instead of the refractive index itself. In addition, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the movement of cam 41, which corresponds to changes in refractive index of the sample, can be arranged to control other controlling devices, and these, in turn, may be used to regulate a process affecting the refractive index of the sample.

It is desirable, from time to time, to adjust the dark field output of the photocell to about 1A to 1/2 of the balance output. This adjustment may be and often is necessitated by changes in photocell sensitivity, changes in brightness of the light source, and other changes, if any, in the optical system including the refraction prism I. An accumulation of foreign matter on the face 4, for example, will cause light from the source to be scattered into the dark field, thereby abnormally increasing its brightness and thus decreasing the contrast between the relative brightness of the light and dark portions of the split eld.

' In practice, it has been found convenient to make resistance 54 about 12 ohms, resistance 55 about 1500 ohms, and resistance 52 about 300 ohms with a conventional multiplier type photoelectric cell. Inasmuch as a dry cell `produces about 1.5 volts, the photocell output current, when the slit coincides with the light-dark boundary, is approximately 8 microamperes, as shown by the milliammeter S3. By pushing down on push rod handle 213 so as to move arm 35 downward and thus move the slit 29 into the dark field, the voltage divider 1| may be adjusted until the milliammeter 53 reads 2 to 4 microamperes as a normal dark field output. l

The adjustment of the dark eld current output of the photocell is made automatically from time to time by means of the modification shown `in Fig. 2 of the apparatus of Fig. 1. In the modified apparatus shown in Fig. 2, the voltage divider H2 (shown in greater detail in Figs. 3 and 4) which replaces the Voltage divider 1| of Fig. 1, operates automatically and periodically, the periods of operation being determined by the timer |44 (shown in detail in Fig. 5).

Referring more particularly to Figs. 2 and 5 as to the operation of the timer |44, motor |65, which is generally operated continuously, rotates cani |E| slowly, for example, at the rate of 1 turn in 10 minutes, through reduction gears |64 and |53. As cam l turns cam follower 2|4 reaches and drops into the depression 2 5. When cam follower 2|4 drops into depression 2|5, contacts 2|@ close, thereby supplying current to winding |5| of motor |41 through closed limit switch |55 previously closed by motor |41. Motor |41 then quickly turns shafts |31 and |55 onehalf turn and the latter turns cam |55 until cam follower 2 1 passes the curved portion 2|8 of cam opening switch |58 thereby stopping motor lili. At the same time that switch |58 isv thus opened, cam follower 2|S rides onto the curved section EIS, thereby closing limit switch |51. lAs cam Ii continues to vslowly revolve, as indicate-d., cam follower 2|4 rides upon the cam projection 22), thereby closing contacts 22| of switch iti-2. Switches |51 and |52, being thus closed (switch i being then open) and winding |52 is thus energized, motor |41 quickly turns in the opposite direction opening limit switch |51 and closing limit switch |58 after making one-half' turn. This sequence of operations continues as long as motor |95 operates.

Thus, shaft |31 periodically makes one-half turn first in one direction and then in the other at the predetermined arbitrary rate of about onehalf turn followed by a reversal every minutes. The time between reversals is relatively short and depends upon, as is manifest, the shapes of the depression 2|5, the projection 220, the cam follower 2l4, and the angular distance between the depression 2|5 and projection 229. Cam |56 is so-positioned on the shaft |55 that shaft |31 occupies the position shown in Fig. 8 when cam follower 2|4 drops into depression 2|5. In this position, push rod |32 butts against the downwardly turned cam |36, thereby depressing arm so that the slit 89 is moved into the'dark field. At the same time, boss |9| following cam |39 rides onto theY at portion |89, thereby tilting the pivoted arm I4 to bring the tire |20 into contact with the worm gear 06 as in Fig. 8. Atthe same time, boss |94 rides upon the circular portion |99 of cam |39, thereby closing switch |40. With cams |36 and |39 in the positions just mentioned, cam |38 allows switch |4| to remain closed. Switch. |4| being closed, permits one of the 2 phase windings (the other being continuously energized from the lines |88) of the balancing motor |04. to be energized from the leads |81 due to the amplified unbalance voltage, if any, across leads |86. Thisunbalance voltage, if any, in turn is due to the difference in the voltage drop across the resistance |14 and that across resistance |19 (|18 being shorted out by switch |40).

As previously indicated, the voltage drop across resistance |19 is determined by resistance |19 plus resistance |11 and is arranged to be just enough to oppose the voltageA drop across 14 (|18 being thus shorted by |40) when slit 89 iS-in the dark eld so that no current goes to the amplifier through leads |85 and, therefore, no energizing current goes to the one of the two windings of the motor |04. Under such circumstances, the tire |20 of voltage divider disc ||5 in contact with worm gear |06 remains stationaryy along with the worm gear |09 so that the point at which resistor |8 contacts element |24 remains the same and no adjustment of the dark field output of the photocell occurs.

On the other hand, in the event that the voltage i drop. across |14 is diierent from that across |19, as when a change in the output occurs of the photoelectric cell, motor |04 will turn in one direction or the other depending upon the polarity ofv this voltage difference. The worm gear |06, accordingly, then turns the disc ||5 of. voltage divider I2 through tire |20 when riding on the gear |06 until the voltage applied by the divider. H2 to the photo tube changes the output to a value sufcient to produce a voltage drop across resistance |14 that is just balanced by the voltage drop across |19 (|13 being shorted out as in Fig. 8). The worm gear |06 in being thus turned, if at all, in balancing the dark eld output of thephotocell, cam |91 (Fig. 2) attached to shaft. |03 also turns, if at all, and moves the pivoted stylus |09, if at all, slightly oi' the record Vand this marking,l if any, is disregarded.

As cam (Fig. 5) continues to turn, the follower 2|4 rides up the projection 229, thereby opening contacts 2|?. and closing contacts 22|. SwitchA |51 being then in the closed position and |58 being open, motor |41 begins to turn shaft |55 and cam |55 u ntil cam follower 2|9 rides oli v 2|.8 aiter 1/2 turn, thus opening switch |51, which stops the motor |41, and closing the switch |58. The shaft |31 having been thereby turned 1/2 turn from the position shown in Fig. 8 through the position shown in Fig. 7 to the position in Fig. 6 causes cam |39 to turn so that the boss i9! of the pivoted arm ||4 rides onto the circular pontion |90, thereby lifting the tire |29 of voltage divider ||2 oif gear wheel |09. Thus the setting of the voltage divider produced by its riding on the gear wheel |06 is retained when the divider is elevated, as described, from the gear wheel, as shown in Fig. 6, thus completing the automatic adjustment of the dark heid output of the photocell.

While cam shaft |31 shifts-from the position shown in Fig. 8 to that of Fig. 6, the intermediate position shown in Fig. 7 is attained during which switch |4| is opened, thereby preventing the balancing motor |955 from operating so that the stylus |09 does not wander during the shifting operation.

With the cam shaft |31 in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 6, resistance |19 is no longer shorted out since switch |49 is then in the open position. In addition cam |36 is turned up allowing arm 15 to be raised by spring 95 until the end |02 of the push rod 91 is raised` suiiiciently to contact cam i9! and the recording of the index of refraction can take place. Then cam operates upon the push rod 91 to determine the position of the a-rm 15 and therefore the position of the slit 99. The position of the slit with respect to the light-dark boundary then determines the output of the photocell 93. The output of the photocell produces a voltage drop across |14 which is bucked by the voltage drop across terminals |89 and |83. Any diierence between these two voltages is amplified by amplifier and impressed upon one of the windings of motor |94 which then turns in one direction or the other depending upon the polarity of the voltage difference, the response of the motor |94 being similar to that when adjusting the dark iield output of the photocell. Thus, the motor turns gear |95 and in turn the cam |91 which moves the stylus |99, accordingly. The turning of motor |94' and the consequent movement of the stylus |99 ceases as soon as` the output current of the photoelectric cell and. the consequent voltage drop across resistance |14 is'brought into balance with the xed voltage drop between the terminals |89 and |83.

While in the embodiments shown of the invention the means for covering the refraction prism face with samples are designed more particularly for use with flowing samples it will be apparent that the sample cell shown may be used with either flowing or static samples. v he range of refraction index measurement of the refractometer will vary with the choice of prism, length of the light path between the objective lens and the slit plate and other factors. Ordinarily with any one conventional refraction prism the range is equivalent to a change of about 0.05 in the magnitude of the refractive index.

The apparatus has a number of advantages among which may be mentioned that it is capable of continuous operation, ordinarily requiring no attention other than changing charts, supplying stylus ink and occasional lubrication; changes in the refractive index of the samples are quickly manifest by the stylus or decord on the chart, there being little time consumed by the mechanism in positioning the slit-carrying arm so that the slit is quickly positioned at the boundary of the light-dark held; accumulations of foreign matter on the face of the refraction prism are easily detected and removed by unscrewing the ferrule 1 and removing the pris-rd from the sample cell as when the light-darla field boundary becomes fuzzy rather than sharp due to dirt on the prism face. The -stylus reading is easily calibrated at any time by comparing its re cording with that obtained with a sample of known refractive index.

Iclaim:

1. A refractometer including a stationary light refracting prism for refracting a beam of light, having a light receiving surface and a light emergent surface, said light receiving surface being adapted to be covered by a sample the refractive index of which is to be obtained; a light source opposite the light receiving surface adapted to direct a beam of light through the sample onto the light receiving surface at grazing incidence to produce a refracted light beam, said refracted light beam having a dark boundary on being brought to a focus; an objective lens adapted to bring to a focus the refracted light beam so as to delineate the said dark boundary; light sensitive means adapted to receive light from the focused light beam thereby to produce an electrical output in proportion to the intensity of the light received; light limiting means in fixed space relation to the said light sensitive means adapted to be positioned in the path of the rays of light passing to the light sensitive means to limit the light received by the light sensitive means to the light at the said dark boundary; and means operable in response to changes in the output of the light sensitive means to maintain the light limiting means at the aforesaid dark boundary and the light sensitive means in the said path of said rays of light whereby the output of the light sensitive means is held substantially constant.

2. A refractometer including a light refracting prism for refracting a beam of light, having a, light receiving surface and a light emergent surface, said light receiving surface being adapted to be covered by a sample the refractive index of which is to be obtained; a light source opposite the light receiving surface adapted to direct a beam of light through the sample onto the light receiving surface at grazing incidence to produce a refracted light beam, said refracted light beam having a dark boundary on being brought to a focus; an objective lens adapted to bring to a focus the refracted light beam so as to delineate the said dark boundary; an arm having one end pivoted near the lens and the other end free to swing in a plane perpendicular to the aforesaid boundary; light sensitive means adapted to receive light from the focused light beam thereby to produce an electrical output in proportion to the intensity of the light received; light limiting means mounted on the arm near the swinging end at a distance from the lens equal to the focal length of the lens, said light limiting means being adapted to limit the light received by the light sensitive means to the light at the said dark boundary; and means operable in response to changes in output of the light sensitive means to position the swinging end of the arm so as to maintain the light limiting means at the aforesaid dark boundary and the light sensitive means in the path of the said focused light beam whereby the output of the light sensitive means is held substantially constant.

3. A recording refractometer for making a continuous record of the index of refraction of a liquid including a sample vessel adapted to contain a sample of the liquid; a light refracting prism having a light receiving surface in the vessel and adapted to be covered by the sample and a light emerging surface outside the vessel; a light source outside the vessel adapted to direct a beam of light through the sample onto the light receiving surface at grazing incidence to produce a refracted light beam emerging from the prism, said refracted light beam having a dark boundary on being brought to a focus; a lens having its axis in alignment with the axis of the light refracting prism, said lens being mounted adjacent to the light emerging surface of the light refracting prism so as to bring to a focus and delineate the said dark boundary; an arm having one end pivoted near the lens and laterally offset from the axis thereof, the other end of said arm being adapted to swing describing an arc in a plane parallel t0 the axis of the lens, said plane being perpendicular to the plane of the light entering surface of the light refracting prism; a slit plate mounted on the arm near the swinging end at a distance from the lens equal to the focal length of the lens, said slit plate having a narrow slit parallel to the said dark boundary; a photoelectric cell mounted on the arm in a position to intercept light rays coming through the slit plate from the lens; and motor driven means connected to the swinging end of the arm, operable in response to changes in output of the photoelectric cell, to maintain the position of the slit at the said dark boundary.

ORMOND BARSTOW.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,471,342 Logan Oct. 23, 1923 1,905,251 Styer Apr. 25, 1933 2,108,410 Perry Feb. 15, 1938 2,226,677 Vikhman Dec. 31, 1940 2,283,036 Bohn May 12, 1942 2,336,550 Kruper Dec. 14, 1943 2,421,854 Seaman June 10, 1947 2,445,044 Stamm et al July 13, 1948 2,483,102 Pierson Sept. 27, 1949 2,529,030 Latchum Nov. 7, 1950 2,534,769 Hart Dec. 19, 1950 

